I had an Awesome 3 days of diving from 3 different ports in Nor-cal. What better way to beat the heat wave !!!! Saturday I hit up the central mendo coast with good buddies Shannon Anderson and Luis Hernandez. We launched out of albion and enjoyed the being on the water diving. Top side weather was hot and warm Maui like. We spent most of the day in chill relax mood no pressure diving. Shannon and Luis both garbed limits of ab's over 9., nothing for me as I have a self imposed 10 inch minimum size and I did not find any to meet the size. I did manage to to shoot two nice black rock fish and one real nice scallop 7 3/4 long by 6 inches wide as well as 2 smaller ones.here is a picture Shannon took, does not do justice to the size of the scallop and the rock fish were MIA for the picture for some reason.

It was great just chilling no pressure and eating lunch on the water. Vis was only 3-5ft where we dived but good enough. or lord as we were coning back in it is amazing the things you see on the water and what folks due to get out to the abalone. https://youtu.be/h6E_AAkJL2E

Day 2 Sunday I dove out of Ocean cove with my buddy Ryan. Once again were treated to top side weather was hot and warm Maui like. Ryan and I hit up some of the old stopping grounds on the sonoma coast. Vis was great at 15ft and lake like conditions. We dived for about 3 hrs just flat out enjoying the water and weather. I ended the day with 2 nice sonoma county ten inch abalone. Ryan scored a huge fat healthy meaty 9 15/16.

Then on Monday I headed up to Fort Brag and meet up with Jason O'Donnell and my buddy Patrick Clark and went out on his boat. Woke up Sunday morning with a pounding headache so I popped a couple of ibuprofen and went on my way. Weather finally back to true norcal weather foggy damp and cold ! We launched the boat began our bumpy ride up to the spot, man was there a wicked south swell rolling in made for a bumpy ride up and by the time I got there, between no food and pain pills and a bumpy ride I got sick as a dog ! Puked for a good 45 min, before I started felling better. Got suited up and went to slide off the boat and wham my weight belt hooks on the boat and tears ion half ! weights go all over the bottom in 37ft of water. I spend the next 20 minutes using Jason's belt trying to find it all and gather to no luck got a few back due the swell pushing the boat and me off the spot. I climbed back in and started brain storming what I could use to save the day. I found Jason shorts had a cloth belt, not the smartest of the best thing t use but it worked and got me by good enough to find one more ten inch ab and my 3rd for the weekend and my 167 ab over ten inches life time . Conditions were surgy and vis only about 5 ft, but everyone got it done, and I guess my moto for the day on Monday was adapt and overcome and make the best of it. Which I think I did. In all a great 3 days with various friends diving all over nor-cal. That is what I love most about the sport not the catches or the trophy abalone but the time with great friends and like minded people.

also man it has been one heck of a year on BIG RED my zodiac and with friends.